Archive · 11 Aug 2026
Chandigarh MP questions Punjab's dominance in UT laws
Chandigarh is a special city in India that is run directly by the central government.
Even though it has its own leaders, many of its rules come from its neighboring states, Punjab and Haryana.
A leader named Manish Tewari asked the government how many of these rules exist.
The answer was 245 rules — 238 from Punjab and only 7 from Haryana.
Mr. Tewari asked whether this shows which state has more influence over the city.
These rules cover things like city planning, police, shops, and stopping crime.
In the last five years, 14 new rules were added, including ones about hookah bars and stopping people-smuggling.
The government says it adds rules based on what the city actually needs.
A law from 1966 allows the central government to bring in rules from states when required.
A Lok Sabha reply shows 245 Punjab and Haryana Acts are applicable in Chandigarh — 238 from Punjab and just seven from Haryana.
Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari asked whether the figures indicate where the city's political balance lies.
Punjab accounts for nearly 97 per cent of the state Acts, while Haryana's share is around 3 per cent.
State laws are extended to Chandigarh under Section 87 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, based on local requirements.
Fourteen Acts were extended in the last five years, covering hookah bars, human smuggling, tenancy and ease of doing business, including the Assam Tenancy Act, 2021.
- Who
- Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari, who posed the question, and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, who disclosed the figures.
- What
- A Parliament reply revealed that 245 Punjab and Haryana Acts apply in Chandigarh — 238 from Punjab and seven from Haryana — prompting Tewari to question the UT's political balance.
- When
- Tuesday, when the reply was given in the Lok Sabha; more than five decades after Chandigarh became a Union Territory.
- Where
- Chandigarh, a Union Territory in India, with the disclosure made in the Lok Sabha.
- Why
- Chandigarh's legal framework has long drawn from neighbouring state laws under Section 87 of the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966, and Tewari asked whether Punjab's dominance indicates where the political balance lies.
MP's Concern
Centre's Position
Punjab laws' dominance in Chandigarh
MP's Concern
Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari says the stark difference — 238 Punjab Acts versus seven Haryana Acts — raises the question of where Chandigarh's political balance lies.
Centre's Position
The Centre says proposals to extend state enactments are initiated by the Chandigarh Administration based on local requirements, and each proposal is considered independently, with no need for a separate uniform policy.
- Total applicable state Acts
- 245 (238 Punjab, 7 Haryana)
- Punjab share of state Acts
- Nearly 97 per cent
- Haryana share of state Acts
- Around 3 per cent
- Legal basis
- Section 87, Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966
- Acts extended in last five years
- 14
- Recent extension subjects
- Hookah bars, shops, contract labour, industrial disputes, stamp duty, human smuggling, land records, fire services, tenancy, ease of doing business
- Disclosed by
- Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai in the Lok Sabha
- Non-regional extension
- Assam Tenancy Act, 2021